03/16/2015

Going Grain Free!

I've been quiet for two weeks... Immediately after writing this post a huge fear of sharing it grabbed me, to the point where I couldn't write or share anything else... I was stuck! I wanted to share this post, but sharing private things about my health, and about my childhood was something that was a bit overwhelming to say the least. It took this long for me to finally feel like I could post this, and hopefully it can be useful for someone else.

I always felt that dietary restrictions were fads... all of a sudden people were not supposed to eat dairy, or carbs, or meat, or fish.... it always seemed to me that people were looking for an excuse to make their lives miserable around food rather than enjoying it. I decided early on that I would never go on a "diet". Yes, I would worry about eating organic, healthy foods, but that was the extent of it.

On the other hand I have been dealing with chronic fatigue, aches and pain, getting sick almost every month, as well as extreme PMS for a few years now. I wallowed in the sickness and the exhaustion, thinking that I just had had a kid, that it was normal. But as the months went by and I saw other moms pick back up just like normal, I started to realize that this was not normal. I started noticing that I was telling my daughter that mom needed quiet and calm because she was not feeling well. That she needed to be "nice" to me. And my blood ran cold.

I love my mom more than I can say, but that was how I spent my childhood. Being quiet so as not to bother my mother who had her migraine, cuddling with her in dark rooms or reading with her on her bed for half of the day because she was too tired and sickly to go outside and play. This is not, of course, all that she ever did... but it was enough of my youth that those are the most potent memories that I keep of her. My mother also had an aneurism at the young age of 59, two years ago.

I realized that I was perpetuating my mother's legacy... and that is the last thing that I want to teach my beautiful, healthy, vibrant, daughter.

A lot of friends and family had been suggesting to me to stop eating grains. I'd already stopped eating processed sugar and drinking coffee and tea with no significant change in my energy level. It was time to go the extra mile. Now, accept the difficulty of this. I'm French for goodness sake! People were telling me to stop eating BREAD... BREAD! Croissants! Baguettes! What am I supposed to eat my cheese with? I'm ok with being a stereotype at this point... not eating bread is akin to committing a sin in my book! And even more than bread, rice, oatmeal, couscous... the list goes on. I couldn't even imagine what I would be eating once I gave all of these things up.

But I did it... It's now been four (6!) weeks that I stopped eating all grains except for Quinoa, which is technically a seed. And you know what? I don't think I've felt this good since before starting College. I get home from work in the evening between 9 and 10pm. Before quitting grains, it was all I could do to crawl into bed and wake up blearily the next morning, getting out of bed with the utmost difficulty. These days I get home and I still have enough energy to get stuff done! I also wake up in the morning, even as early as seven, and can just start my day... let me repeat this: I can just start my day! I don't feel groggy, I don't feel like my eyes are glued shut. I just walk around like a normal person, and not a zombie. This is even after staying up later at night than I've had in a long time.

Now I'm not saying everything is fixed. I'm still figuring out the PMS symptoms although they do seem to be milder these days. And it looks like my immune system took a beating over the past few years, so I'm still working on getting rid of colds and allergies, but all in all I feel about 80 percent better since I stopped eating grains. The rest is personal health work that I'm starting to solve, with the help of an Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine.

Quitting grains is not for everyone. It's definitely a very extreme measure that I never thought I would consider. But if you are suffering from chronic fatigue, inflammations, and chronic illness, it is definitely a step that I recommend. If only to test out for a couple of months. It will never hurt, and the benefits could be invaluable!

I'll try and share some of my favorite recipes in the next months, going grain free doesn't have to be boring!

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I am Marie Lafranque. Originally from France I am an artist and mother now living in California who is discovering her affinity with fabrics and thread. I live with my little girl, Victoria, and one old lady dog. Please feel free to follow and comment on our adventures!